Faith is a journey not a guilt trip

My wife and I were able to fly down to OKC for the Network Summit at LifeChurch.tv. Below you can catch a video recap of everything that went down.

Over the next few week we will share a few of the notes that were taken from some of the sessions at the Summit. We really hope that it inspires you! To the Swerve Church team, I hope that in the near future you will be able to take the flight with us to the next Summit so that we can learn and be inspired together.

BOBBY GRUENEWALD

Bobby is the mastermind behind the Bible App. He is currently Pastor of Innovation at Life.Church. He was first up of a series of sessions at the Summit this year. Here's some of my notes:

There were 90 countries and 6 continents represented at The Summit this year!

3 Statements That Define Network

1:: We are the Network and we exist to reach the world and make Jesusknown.

Lazy people don't need vision to be lazy.

This network is all about reaching people.

2:: We are Network and we are generous.

Generosity doesn't begin with resources. It begins with the heart.

We all have to contribute.

Give time, resources, finances.

​3:: We are Network and we grow.

We grow individually as leaders.

We grow as a network.

We have to have a plan/vision for growth.

​:: Think beyond the launch.

:: This journey is not a sprint or a marathon but a series of sprints.

:: Regardless of how big the milestone there is always room for growth.

:: Questions to ask yourself, "Where do you grow from here?"

:: Plan for a future that demands our growth and cannot be done apart from God.

I (Danny) was so privileged to have been able to attend the Send North America Conference in Nashville Tennessee. 13,000 people gathered downtown to get inspired to live a life on mission. Many times we think that this "mission" is just for the "special ones". You know...your pastor, the deacons at your church, the life group leaders. You know...the big shots. But actually the call to live a life on mission is given to the entirety of the church. Can you imagine the Church of Jesus Christ collectively living a life on mission sharing the hope that is found in Jesus! The impact would be incredible!

So I just wanted to share some of my notes from the trip. I hope that these notes will be especially helpful to you and shoot a fire in you to live a life on mission right where you are. At your job. In your home. In your circle of relationships. In your neighborhood.

Here's jus a few of my notes:

DHATI LEWIS

51% of the world lives in the urban context.

The best missionaries (church planters) are going to come from the context they're living in.

Many times we work from an "anti-vision" instead of a vision.

The local church is a family, not an orphanage.

The church is the gospel made visible.

The gospel changes people and people change the world.

You teach what you know but you reproduce who you are.

If the church is a family then the best thing I can do for my community is put my family on display.

Invite people into relationships, not just time and space.

90% of ministry is showing up.

Create a system to care for, equip and mobilize members.

JD GREEAR

The question is not IF I'm called but to WHEN and WHERE.

There is nothing more exciting than sending and church planting.

More and more people will have to be reached outside of the church walls.

Empower people to carry the gospel outside of the church.

God only multiplies what you sow.

You cannot out give God.

Not seating capacity but sending capacity is a measurement of success,

When we get good at disciple making, sending will take care of itself.

You can be wicked by failing to give and steward the resource God has trusted you with.

LOUIE GIGLIO

The gospel is power because sin does not make us bad. It makes us dead. The gospel give us life.

We are seated with Christ so that we can walk with him in power.

If you're at the end of you rope, just let go. Trust Jesus.

Plan + power fueled proclamation = salvation + church

The enemy WILL bring opposition.

VANCE PITMAN

"The great use of a life is to spend it for something that outlasts it" - William Jones

Never has a larger assignment been given to an unqualified group of people.

4 Characteristics That Enabled The Church to Impact The World

Faith that produced perseverance

Passion that produced unity

Desperation that produced prayer

The spirit that produced power

Movements begin wen people surrender their will to God.

If we want to see God move we must learn to sit at the feet of Jesus and wait to listen to the voice of God.

If we want God to use ordinary people to change the world, we must get on our face and beg.

If we want to learn what's going on in our communities we must listen.

DAVID PLATT

See a world in great need.

When is the last time you wept over a people in need?

We need the power of the Spirit to accomplish what God has called us to do.

We can't plant churches in our own power.

I want to be a part of something that could not have been accomplished a part from the power of God.

Our God is sovereign over all.

God has put you in your city purposefully.

Ae we going to take advantage of the sovereign opportunities God has laid before us?

In Honor of Calet Cortes Sr.My great grandfather passed away this weekend. I wanted to honor him by sharing some things I've learned from his life. Obviously I'm sad with his passing; but deep down I'm overwhelmed with joy because I know he is with our Lord and Savior.

For if we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord. So then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord’s. {Romans 5:8}

My great grandfather loved talking about God and the Bible. He was forever singing the praises of Jesus. His faith was unshakable. Through even the most difficult of moments he would always give God the glory.

In fact, even when I went to visit him at the hospital the last few days of his life, in the middle of the pain he was feeling, he still lifted his arms in the air and prayed.

Now don't be fooled. He wasn't always this way. My great grandfather did not grow up serving God. He was a raging alcoholic. My grandfather shares stories of bar fights, stabbings and waking up on the street many times. But praise be to God, he surrendered his life to Jesus at a crusade and never looked back.

In honor of his life, here's a few lessons I've learned. I pray it may be a blessing to you as well.

1: GOD CAN SAVE ANYONE

Surely the arm of the LORD is not too short to save, nor his ear too dull to hear. (Isaiah 59:1)

No one is out of God's reach. Even a drunk, abusive, sinful man. God's grace is made available to the worst of sinners through Jesus' sacrifice on the cross. Jesus bore the weight of our sins on his back. He died the death you and I deserved and conquered Satan, sin and death so that we may be called children of God.

2: LOVE GOD'S WORD

Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path (Psalm 119:105)

My great grandfather loved to read his Bible and was constantly talking with everyone about God's Word. The Bible really is a lamp to our feet and a light to our path. A lamp does not light up a huge amount of area. But it does light up enough so that we can see our next step.

3: GOD HEALS FAMILIES

Blessed are those who fear the Lord, who find great delight in his commands. Their children will be mighty in the land; the generation of the upright will be blessed. (Psalm 112:1-2)

Can you imagine how different my life could be if my great grandfather would have continued along the same trajectory he was heading? But because Jesus changed his life forever it affected my grandfather which in turn affect my mom and dad, which in turn directly affects me and my children. Praise God that he broke a bondage that could have had negative implications on generations to come.

Because he surrendered his life to Jesus, my family can now have a godly legacy.

4: PERSEVERE EVEN WHEN IT'S TOUGH

Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him (James 1:12)

My great grandfather never gave up. Even when times got hard, he dug deep and remained rooted in God's Word. Many things will come up tempting you to give up. But remain steadfast.

Happy new years everyone! It has been a while since we've posted on the Swerve Church blog. Let me take an opportunity to update you on all that is going on.

We're approaching the end of a great series we studied at the Life Group. "The Christian Atheist; believing in God but living as if he didn't exist" really challenged us to examine ourselves and identify the bits of Christian atheism. We were able as well to challenge the cultural Christianity we see all around us. If we are truly impacted by the gospel, then there will be ramifications and proof of it in our lives.

I (Danny) can honestly say that I have been so blessed to see the growth not only in myself, but in the lives of those who have been attending. We'll be wrapping up our final week on Tuesday January 28th at 7 PM. If you're interested in joining us, we'd love to see you there!

Following this series we'll be starting another great set of sessions called "Weird; because normal isn't working". We invite you to check it out. You can view some more info here.

We began weekly pre-launch gatherings on Sundays

this month. These are times of worship, fellowship, prayer and a relevant Bible teaching from Craig Groeschel.

We'll be wrapping up a series called "Small Things Big Differences" this Sunday, January 26th at 12:30 PM. You can catch up on any of the teachings you missed here.

Lastly, we'll be heading to Covenant House Saturday February 1st at 7 PM to bring some encouragement and snacks to the homeless, abandoned and at-risk youth there. Would you like to join us? Send an email to info@swervechurch.com and let us know.

Here are some things to pray for:

Pray for me and my family.

Pray for God to send more laborers.

Help us pray for 3 key leaders to help us lead the church plant.

Pray for a location for us to meet for our preview services and launch.

If you or someone you know is interested in helping us plant a gospel-centered, relevant and fun church in Bushwick, please let m know! Drop me an email at danny@swervechurch.com. Or hit me up via Facebook or Twitter.

The truth is that there is not enough space in the world to write down all I learned at LifeChurch.tv Albany. The experience was overwhelming and my wife and I returned to Brooklyn charged and energized. We're looking forward to returning this summer with some members of the launch team to learn even more!

BUILD THE EXPERIENCE FOR THE UN-CHURCHEDAt LifeChurch Albany, everything they do regarding the worship experience revolves around reaching the un-churched person. This means very intentionally creating an atmosphere where that person can feel comfortable, accepted and loved. This permits removal of distractions and allows room for people to respond to the gospel.

EXCELLENCEExcellence is key. Why? Because from the songs sung, to the message preached, everything is done to our God and he deserves the very best of our ability. God will honor excellence.

KIDS, KIDS, KIDSThe environment they create for children is so exciting that kids beg their parents to return the following week. But it's not just a baby-sitting service. Kids have their own worship, Bible study and small group time. We want to implement this excellence in kids ministry at Swerve Church as well.

SWERVE KIDSIn fact, perhaps this is an area of ministry you feel passionate about. Maybe you'd like to get involved and help us build an exciting environment for children to attend. It all starts with joining the Launch Team. Sign-up, we'd love to get to know you have you as a part of the team that is leading people to become fully devoted followers of Christ!

Swerve Church is a new Church Plant coming to the Bushwick / Williamsburg section of Brooklyn. Our mission is to lead people to become fully devoted followers of Jesus. We're committed to the capital "C" church because we know we can do infinitely more together than apart. We will do anything short of sin to reach people far from God because to reach people that no one is reaching, we need to do things that no one is doing. We are a part of NetworkChurches.tv. We hope to launch in April of 2014.